The sermon’s duration was less than 15 minutes. Its theme—a call for unity grounded in faith at a time of political division—was hardly out of the norm for a post-inauguration service at Washington National Cathedral, which has hosted similar services 10 times before.
It was the sermon’s final four minutes that struck a chord. Mariann Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, issued a final plea directly to President Donald Trump as he sat in the front row, a moment that would generate national headlines and intense reactions, both positive and negative.
Her calm plea to the president: “Have mercy.”
